The congress will be held in Tartu, Estonia. Estonian folklore has been recorded since the 1840s. In 1919 the Chair of Folkloristics was opened at the University of Tartu, in 1925 the Academic Folklore Society was established, in 1927 the Estonian Folklore Archives, and in 1947 the Department of Folkloristics was founded. Folklore publications in (both Estonian and) English include series of academic publications, conferences and seminars are held regularly. The University of Tartu presently offers education in folklore on BA, MA and PhD levels.

About Estonia

To learn more about Estonia,
see: http://www.estonica.org/

Tartu is the second largest town in Estonia with the population of 101 901 (on the basis of 1998 statistics). Tartu is situated in South-East Estonia on the scenic river Emajõgi (lit. "The Mother River"). The town is considered to be the oldest both in Estonia and also in the Baltic States, as it was first mentioned in the historical Slavic chronicles in 1030. In 1224, after the German Brethren of the Sword captured Tartu, the town became the centre of a bishopric. In medieval times the town was an important trading centre and belonged to the Hanseatic League. During its long and complicated history Tartu has been under Russian, Polish, Swedish and German rule. Depending on the governing power, Tartu has had several different names: Tarbatu, Dorpat, Derpt, Jurjev.

Tartu has been known as the cradle of Estonian culture ever since the year 1632 when King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden founded a university here. The first Estonian song festival was held here in 1869, and the oldest Estonian theatre "Vanemuine" was founded in the following year. Present-day Tartu is an interesting town with an exciting synthesis of culture, science, art and history, as well as vibrant economy.

To learn more about Tartu,
see: http://www.tartu.ee/?lang_id=2

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